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A looks at the most contentious stories of inheritance and an exploration of the family dynamics, legal wrangling and high emotions surrounding real-life stories in a world where grief and greed collide.
2010
Joan Crawford dies in 1977 and leaves nothing in her will for her two children Christina and Christopher. In addition to suing the estate, Christina surfaces a blasting recollection of her thoughts of her mother which ruins Crawford's reputation.
Catherine Dupree, the long lost daughter of country singer Hanks Williams discovers that she is the inheritor of his estate and music royalties. Dupree engages in a strenuous legal battle for what is rightfully her own in the Alabama Supreme Court.
Wilbur Robinson dies at 75, and is only survived by two siblings Elneda and Joseph. The two should be entitled to his estate but it's missing! A quest for their money leads to secrets being revealed including the discovery of their long lost brother.
Mary Sheehan's death in Savannah, Georgia leads to a hunt for her rightful heirs. A rivalry between two Ireland based families soon develops as they both declare claims to Sheehan's riches. Corruption and conspiracy ensues to prove such claims.
Joey Bishop of the famous 'Rat Pack', dies at 89, leaving behind assets worth seven million dollars. A battle for his money begins, as his girlfriend makes a claim to inherit the estate.
Pierre Dumaine dies at 75. His children, Peter, Lael and Elizabeth, stand to inherit $150 million dollars. But, Elizabeth, born out of wedlock and given for adoption, fights to be acknowledged as her share of the wealth rests in the hands of a judge.
Doris Duke dies at the age of 81. Bernard Lafferty, an uneducated, alcoholic butler, is left with her estate worth 1.2 billion dollars. Duke's friend, Dr. Harry Demopolous, sets out prove Lafferty is unfit to oversee the money's distribution.
2012
In 1998, singer Tammy Wynette dies at 55 leaving four daughters, her fifth husband, and two large life insurance policies. When her daughters get cut out, they question the events of their mother’s death. The scandal rocks the country music industry.
On "the day the music died," February 3, 1959, rock n' roll sensation Richard Valenzuela, aka Ritchie Valens, dies in a tragic plane crash at the young age of 17. Having yet to earn much money from his music, Valens does not have a will prepared. The fight for the royalties from his music begins shortly after his funeral, pitting Ritchie's family against the man who discovered, promoted, produced, and managed the young star. The legal wrangling goes on for decades, only ending in the 1980s, when the movie "La Bamba" is released, which catapults Ritchie Valens back to top of the charts.
July 2002, baseball legend Ted Williams dies, his youngest children whisk his body away to be cryogenically preserved, although his will requested cremation. Ted's eldest daughter goes to court to get his body returned, exposing a troubled family history.
In February, 1987, Andy Warhol, the iconoclastic artist and 'prince of pop art,' dies from complications after a routine operation. Just 58 years old, he is one of the wealthiest artists of his time. With appraisals of his work ranging from $95 million to almost $600 million, the fight for art gets ugly. His estate lawyer and his charitable foundation duke it out amid allegations of fraud, price-fixing, and shady backroom deals. The dispute culminates in a legal standoff that calls into question Warhol's value as an artist and his legacy as a cultural icon – and just how much his own "15 minutes of fame" is worth.
January 2012. Singer Etta James is on her deathbed. Her family battles over control of her end-of-life decisions-and her fortune. Her husband fights to keep her at home. Her sons fear their stepfather is playing fast and loose with their mother's money.
In 1999, LaTanya Haggerty, an unharmed woman with no criminal record, is shot dead by the police. The family is given an 18 million dollar payment by the City of Chicago. When LaTanya's half-sister i…
In 1938, future legendary blues artist Robert Johnson dies penniless. A re-release of his recordings make him one of the top-selling blues artists of all-time. With no will or known descendants,…
Writer Stieg Larsson dies in 2004 with an invalid will. His estate goes to his brother and father while his life partner gets nothing. The dispute over the estate gets more complicated when Larsson's novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, becomes a hit.
Norman Otto Hipel dies of a heart attack in 1953. The prominent Canadian politician leaves behind his wife and their two children, Norma and George. Following his wife’s death 25 years later, the estate is to be split equally between the children. But Norma is not told of either inheritance, and never gets her share, the value of both estimated to be more than $10 million. Norma is estranged from the family and raises her own seven children in abject poverty. Decades later, Norma’s daughter Nancy learns by fluke who her grandfather was. Nancy is willing to do whatever it takes to help her mother recoup both inheritances.
In 1969, aspiring author John Kennedy Toole commits suicide. He doesn’t leave a will, entitling his parents to an estate that includes his unpublished manuscript, “A Confederacy of Dunces.” His father also passes away without a will, entitling his half of his son’s estate to his extended family. Before the book can be published, mother Thelma convinces them to sign away their rights to the book, without them realizing the massive success it will become: the first-ever posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner. When Thelma finds another of Toole’s manuscripts, “The Neon Bible,” her husband’s family refuses to make the same mistake twice, and a furious Thelma will do whatever it takes to ensure these “unworthy” relatives do not profit off of her son’s genius.
James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, dies in 2006. He leaves much of his estate to a trust for underprivileged children, while his family is left out in the cold. Was this Brown's decision, or was he influenced by trustees who are set to inherit the rest?
In 1970, guitar legend Jimi Hendrix dies without a will, making his father Al the sole inheritor. When Al dies, his other son Leon gets cut from his father's will. Instead, Al's adopted daughter is entrusted with carrying on the Hendrix legacy.
In 1995, Jerry Garcia, from the Grateful Dead, dies at 53. The rock legend leaves behind a family and a multi-million-dollar estate. Both Garcia's will and the IOU's he made spark lawsuits that land those closest to Garcia in and out of court for years.
One-time child star Gary Coleman dies in 2010, and leaves behind a messy estate plan that pits his former spouse Shannon Price against best friend Anna Gray. The trial uncovers much dirt, and reveals that Coleman's relationships were not what they seemed.
2011
Billionaire Howard Hughes dies, leaving behind an estate worth $2.5 billion, but no will. But 3 weeks later, a will appears, leaving $156 million to Melvin Dummar. An epic legal battle will ensue to prove whether the Will is genuine or counterfeit.
Frankie Lymon, singer of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" dies from a drug overdose at 25. Who will inherit the royalties from this hit song? His bandmates Herman Santiago and Jimmy Merchant? Or, Morris Levy, allegedly credited with co-writing the song?
At the age of 59, famed country star Conway Twitty dies, leaving a $15-million estate to his four children. But Conway's widow is legally entitled to one-third of the estate. Fighting for her share, an ugly legal battle unfolds in the family.
Sarah Hadley, daughter of Art Hadley, the inventor of the expansion bracelet, dies at the age of 75. Her death triggers the distribution of a $7-million trust, but relatives from near and far feud as to who should really take home the money.
Johnnie Taylor, R&B musician, dies at 66 leaving behind a million-dollar estate. His six children expect to split his estate, until three strangers claim they're Taylor's children as well. Challenging the news, a 2-year legal battle ensues.
Philanthropist Lillian Garis Booth dies at 92, leaving $10-million to her nephew Robert Reldan: a convicted serial killer serving a life sentence. In an effort to stop the inheritance, the father of one of his victims wages an epic legal battle.
Rock Hudson dies in 1985 with AIDS. His death sparks a bitter lawsuit by Marc Christian who claims Hudson knowingly exposed him to HIV. The trial leads to a landmark decision about a partner's duty to disclose a potentially deadly diagnosis.
The death of renowned, 55-year-old Country songwriter Wayne Perry in Ohio on May 15, 2005, sparks a five-year legal battle between his four children and his faith-healing evangelical sister for an estate valued at over a million dollars.
